Outsource2Us shares 3 trialled and tested marketing strategies to build a strong reputation both within the community and online to increase enrolments.
1. Next Level Experience to Create Customer Goodwill
As a general rule, people trust other people; an honest recommendation from a friend can be a better marketing strategy than a multi-million-dollar campaign. The reason it’s so valuable is the same reason it’s so difficult to gain — real word-of-mouth advertising must be earned by going above and beyond. You should increase new families and hold onto the current ones by providing exceptional customer service.
Tactics such as birthday cards to each enrolled child, anniversary cards for parents or providing coffee to parents at drop-offs will catch attention and prove that you care about the families you work with. Once the word is out that you take care of your customers, your centre’s numbers will increase. Outsource2Us has worked with countless centres to implement next-level service ideas that builds both goodwill and your reputation.
2. Increase Brand Awareness with Community Engagement
In such a competitive market, it’s important for community engagement to reach beyond social media. A powerful and sometimes overlooked strategy is engaging with key businesses in your local community to establish reciprocal marketing opportunities. This simple and cost-effective strategy is a great way to increase brand awareness and reach potential families. Ideal businesses are those that attract the same families that you seek including cafes, hairdressers, gyms, medical centres, libraries, playgroups, toy stores and real estate agencies.
These businesses can have your flyers on their counters to promote your centre as a service to their clients, just as you promote their business as a service to your families. Outsource2Us has worked with countless centres to build lasting connections with local stakeholders and be seen as an integral part of the community.
3. Build a Strong Online Reputation with Parent Reviews
Getting reviews from parents has a number of benefits. Not only can these reviews provide powerful content to help potential families choose your centre, they can also influence your rankings in Google’s search results. As a general rule, you should always be asking families who are happy about your centre or program to write an online review.
Tactics such as adding links to review sites in your online communications and sending home flyers showing how to give an online review will make it easier for parents, especially when considering their busy lifestyles. In some cases, you may need to use incentives to encourage parents to write positive online reviews. For example, encourage families to leave a review for the chance to win a $100 gift card! Outsource2Us has worked with numerous centres to improve online reviews and increase their star ratings.
